All summer long we sat and wondered if and when Vancouver general manger Mike Gillis would pull the trigger on a trade to send Roberto Luongo out of town. The embattled veteran netminder had apparently been supplanted by understudy Cory Schneider in last year’s playoffs and had expressed a desire to be moved to a team that he could start for.

The fact that Luongo is still in Vancouver could be as much a testament to his value  as much as Vancouver’s faith in the relatively untested Schneider. Luongo is only 33-years-old and has plenty left in the tank to offer any team. My money says that he will find himself back in favor with a Canuck jersey this season.

Though the Canucks gave Schneider the extension he wanted, many believe that it served as a kick in the tail for Roberto Luongo. Widely regarded around the league as one of the top five goalies, the knock against him was playoff inconsistency. He was in net for Team Canada for their overtime gold-medal game win in the 2010 Olympics n Vancouver.

The Canucks home Game 7 loss to Boston in 2010 was a bitter pill to swallow for the hard-luck Canuck fans. Luongo followed up that loss with a President’s Cup season leading the NHL with 103 points. A first round loss to eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles, brought back the bad memories of playoff disappointment, with a finger pointed directly at Luongo.

It didn’t matter that the Canucks couldn’t score on Jonathon Quick, who happened to be playing out of his mind. In came Cory Schneider, but the results were the same and the top-seeded Canucks were spectators after Round 1.

Look for Luongo to assume his place among the NHL’s elite netminders again this season. With an asking price that no one is willing to take, yet, Mike Gillis has the best backup goaltender in the league. Don’t expect him to be the backup for long.